"The only safe course is to touch not, taste not, handle not, tea, coffee, wines, tobacco, opium, and alcoholic drinks. The necessity for the men of this generation to call to their aid the power of the will, strengthened by the grace of God, in order to withstand the temptations of Satan and resist the least indulgence of perverted appetite is twice as great as it was several generations ago. But the present generation have less power of self-control than had those who lived then. Those who have indulged the appetite for these stimulants have transmitted their depraved appetites and passions to their children, and greater moral power is required to resist intemperance in all its forms. The only perfectly safe course to pursue is to stand firmly on the side of temperance and not venture in the path of danger. 3T 488.1"
"Abstain from all appearance of evil."
The EGW passage directly advocates for abstaining from harmful substances, aligning with the principle of avoiding even the appearance of evil as stated in 1 Thessalonians 5:22.
"The great end for which Christ endured that long fast in the wilderness was to teach us the necessity of self- denial and temperance. This work should commence at our tables and should be strictly carried out in all the concerns of life. The Redeemer of the world came from heaven to help man in his weakness, that, in the power which Jesus came to bring him, he might become strong to overcome appetite and passion, and might be victor on every point. 3T 488.2"
"And when he had fasted forty days and forty nights, he was afterward an hungred."
The EGW passage explicitly refers to Christ's fast in the wilderness as a lesson in self-denial and temperance, directly alluding to Matthew 4:2.
"Many parents educate the tastes of their children and form their appetites. They indulge them in eating flesh meats and in drinking tea and coffee. The highly seasoned flesh meats and the tea and coffee, which some mothers encourage their children to use, prepare the way for them to crave stronger stimulants, as tobacco. The use of tobacco encourages the appetite for liquor, and the use of tobacco and liquor invariably lessens nerve power. 3T 488.3"
"Train up a child in the way he should go: and when he is old, he will not depart from it."
The EGW passage discusses the importance of parents guiding their children's tastes and habits, which directly reflects the principle of Proverbs 22:6 about training up a child.